


Not Your Chosen One

by SociallyUnacceptableOrb



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Monster!Garlude, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 03:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18842596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyUnacceptableOrb/pseuds/SociallyUnacceptableOrb
Summary: Garlude's path to knighthood is going to be a long one.





	Not Your Chosen One

“Garlude?”

The lavender furred woman’s finger traced the lip of the mug as she stared down into her tea. Her stomach still felt like it was turning, and her head was even dizzier (this body was hard enough to get a grip on without the paranoia). Garlude hesitantly looked up at Guinevere as she answered.

“Ah, yes?” She mentally cursed herself for how pathetic she’d just sounded.

 “I would like to apologize for these past few days,” Guinevere said. While the blonde’s stance with arms crossed across her chest was stern, the tone in her voice was gentle. “I can’t imagine it’s been too fun with everyone poking and prodding at you like you’re some sort of sick animal.”

“I’m used to it,” Garlude mumbled. “You wouldn’t believe what my old job was like.”

“I suppose not. Though, I might’ve envied you were this situation not so…” She uncrossed her arms and waved a hand around, as if it would help her recall the word she wanted. “Dire, so to speak. You should get some rest, love. You’re safe here.”

Guinevere left without another word and Garlude placed the mug back on the side table. The small room she’d been kept in wasn’t as familiar as the usual test tubes and stasis chambers of Nightmare Enterprises but was comfy and suitable enough. Erasem seemed to like it, if her lack of complaints was anything to go by, but Garlude herself still felt off. She couldn’t distinguish if it was her realization about what had happened to Evenstar, or how Moro had brushed off her concerns as if he’d been reading off a script, or how guilty she felt over everything she’d done.

“Am I ill?” Garlude asked aloud as she laid down on the bed. Erasem responded in kind.

_Not physically, no. But your heart is aching._

 “Well, that doesn’t make any sense,” Garlude said as she began wrapping herself in blankets. “How can my heart be hurt if I’m not?”

_Don’t play dumb. You’ve felt this way many times before, no matter what it was caused by. The mortals know this feeling as well. You languish just as they, Lanzer._

“Garlude!” she chastised the demon beast. “Call me Garlude. I’m starting to hate that other name.”

_It’s only gotten worse with time. You know what you’ve done is wrong, everything you’ve ever done. It has finally sunk in, hasn’t it? You’re still a monster, even with your shiny new skin._

“I brought you here to help me, Erasem.” The purple woman pouted with a pillow pressed over her ears (as if _that_ would really stop her). “Shouldn’t you be trying to give me hints? Fighting tips? Socializing tips?”

_Don’t ask me. I only work here._

Pulling herself out of the mess of blankets and pillows, Garlude stretched and popped a knot out of her neck. She wouldn’t get anywhere trying to sit here and mope, even if it did make her feel a little bit better. The path to getting a new life, figuring out whatever the Galaxy Soldier Army really was, and finding out the truth behind Nightmare himself was right outside that door.

And going out that door that meant getting used to her new body.

She’d already learned how to walk, figured out that her shadow summoning didn’t work, how to focus with only two eyes, but she was more interested in the ways of meeting people. She pushed open the door and looked around; a force of habit she hadn’t quite kicked yet. With the coast well and clear, Garlude continued on her merry little way to try and make a friend or at least start a normal conversation.

But try as she might, she couldn’t find a soul still awake at this hour. How late _was_ it? Looking out the window, all she could see was the night sky without a single hint otherwise. There probably was a clock in her room, but she’d be damned if she knew how to read it. So, she went for the second-best option: search for the sound of someone’s voice and hope that she wasn’t barging in on a private conversation.

As luck would have it, she heard the sound of two men loudly conversing from across the hallway, and pressed her ear against the door, waiting for a proper moment to enter the conversation. Her hope turned to annoyance when she recognized their voices immediately; Sirs Arthur and Lancelot were in the middle of a quarrel about what to do with the rest of the planet, and it didn’t seem like they were going to stop any time soon. She’d grown weary of them from all the interrogations they’d bombarded her with and groaned in annoyance as she tried for another door.

The second door, in stark comparison, was silent save for the sounds of gentle snoring. A noise outside the room, one very close-by, sent Garlude into a panic: the sound of heavy footsteps. She knew the punishment for being caught outside one’s chamber was at Nightmare Enterprises, and she wasn’t primed to take any chances with this base. Without thinking, she ran down the hallways, pressed the button to open the doors of the first room that caught her eye, and barreled inside.

Garlude took a deep breath as she slid down against the door and looked around to make sure she hadn’t accidentally awoken anyone. To her relief, one of the occupants was already awake with his back turned to her as he hunched over a writing desk, engrossed in his own work. Looking around, she noted the contrast with each half of the living area. One side had a daybed surrounded by shelves upon shelves of books, weapons, cups filled with pencils, jars containing bits from monsters, and armor. The other side was significantly more casual with a few posters on the wall, a futon, and an end table with a pitcher filled up with water and a glass cup.

“Be careful,” says the spherical swordsman at the desk. “He gets quite cranky if he’s woken up prematurely.”

“Oh!” Garlude practically jumped at the sound of his voice. “You – you heard me come in? I apologize, I got a little lost on my way back to my room.” She gingerly stepped around the sleeping warrior as she went up to the desk.

“It’s alright. I’m always a bit lonely whenever Yamikage goes to bed early.” He turned around and Garlude finally recognized him. It was Meta Knight, one of the Star Warriors that had brought her in. Albeit it took a while for it to click being that he didn’t have his mask on; he looked strange without it, and the scruffy goatee and freckles threw her for a loop with that voice of his. “But it does beg the question of why exactly you were out here.”

How was she supposed to answer that? ‘ _I’m sorry, Sir Meta Knight! I was trying to get some conversation in before bed so I wouldn’t be haunted by all the horrible things I’d done in the name of Nightmare Enterprises!’_ So, she opted for a more sweeping explanation; not quite a lie, but not quite the truth.

“I needed to clear my mind, that’s all.” She said.

Her eyes were then drawn to the stacks of books on the desk, most of them handwritten journals detailing information on monsters, but one in particular caught her eye. _Los Caballeros de las Estrellas._ There was something familiar about the title, alright, but she’d have to prove her suspicions. Unceremoniously picking it up off the table and cracking it open, she came to the shocking realization that she didn’t understand a word of what it said. It was in some offshoot language of Halcandran, there were enough loan words and verb tenses that matched up, but asides that, she was utterly stumped.

“Interested in Galactic and Twinkle Knight, are you?” Meta Knight asked.

Garlude dropped the book with a short yelp, dropping it atop what Meta was writing and knocking over his inkwell, spilling its contents across the table. With a defeated sigh, he put down his pen and picked the book back up before it could be further stained.

“This one’s a bit lengthier than usual, but they did include a vast majority of the side stories and didn’t try and truncate the gorier bits. It always bothered me reading the more sanitized versions after discovering this one.” Clearly Meta Knight was trying to appeal to her assumed profession, and while she didn’t quite follow, it was sweet to see him talking about something he was passionate about. “And they also didn’t make the story of the first Star Warrior childish, either.”

“I was under the assumption that the infant didn’t survive.” Garlude bluntly replied.

“Right. The Traumwaldian edition,” he rolled his eyes and began to dramatically recite. “Though his mortal form was crushed, the spirit of love and hope radiated through the galaxy, and he lived on despite Nightmare’s evil.” His voice returned to normal as he said, “At the sake of not sounding too childish, I’d much prefer a less ambiguous happy ending. And at least let him keep his name.”

“What?” Garlude asked. No, there had _never_ been a spark of hope. The child had died in a burst of light, and that was the end of that. Nightmare had reigned supreme over their feeble attempt and taken the enchantment to help his monstrous armies grow. Best not to let that slip, though. “The Star Warrior had a name?”

“Well, not technically.” Meta Knight made a noncommittal hand gesture and leaned back in his chair. “But it was written that Twinkle Knight called him Kirby.”

Kirby. It was an adorable name, for certain, but not exactly the one to strike fears into the hearts of one’s opponents. Maybe his appearance was a bit more threatening. Garlude then vividly remembered Lancelot attempting to flirt with her by telling her that she shared her name with an ancient poet and proceeded to shake off the feeling that came with remembering such things.

“Well, I shouldn’t bother you anymore,” Garlude said, tiptoeing back out of the room. “Have a nice sleep!” Her hand fumbled blindly behind her as she attempted to find the door switch. Meta Knight calmly walked over and pressed the button for her.

“There you go,” he said, and then looked out into the corridor, whose sole occupant was visibly limping across the way. “Excuse me, Vanguard. Could you please take Miss Garlude back to her room?”

“Huh?” she asked, and then immediately straightened up, realizing she was being watched. “Of course! Over here, lady. She’s near the med bay, right?”

Meta Knight nodded, and gently nudged Garlude forward. Garlude gulped sharply and went up to her side as the knight attempted to readjust herself and give off the impression that she was holding up a lot better. But as soon as Meta Knight closed the door, Vanguard doubled over in pain again with a sharp grunt.

“Are you okay?” Garlude asked as she pressed herself up against the taller knight, attempting to use herself as a makeshift crutch.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine!” Vanguard said with a wink as she began to step forward with Garlude still beneath her, balancing her. “It’s this armor, that’s all. I’ll repair it first thing in the morning. Can’t fix anything without forty winks first!”

Garlude looked at the knight’s armor. The blued steel on her helm and was exquisite, the untreated steel just as shiny and pristine, but it had certainly seen better days. The joint on her left ankle was dislocated and in an uncomfortable position, making Garlude wonder why she hadn’t instead gone to get medical treatment. But she reasoned that it would be ruder to ask about her injury and opted for a different approach.

 “If you’d like me to, I could help you with your repairs!” she said, a bit louder than be probably should have. Lowering her voice, she continued. “Ah, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Vanguard gave a brisk nod as she led Garlude to her door. “Don’t see why not. But I like I said, I need some sleep and so do you.”

Garlude slid out from under the knight, stepped inside her room, and inhaled sharply as soon as the doors closed shut. Exhaling deep, she walked over to her bed and flopped face-down upon it. Had she just signed up for a stint in blacksmithing? Sure, that hadn’t been her intention… but it was a start towards making friends, at least.

* * *

The sun peeked over the irradiated mountains of Evenstar, and Garlude was already set to aid Cobalt with her repairs. And now that she had an influx of helpful knights telling her where the mechanical room was, she got there without another minute to spare.

Probably.

I mean, she still had trouble with reading clocks.

Entering the armory, Garlude looked around for Vanguard, but only found her damaged armor suspended from the ceiling. A tall stool stood next to the suit, which puzzled Garlude. It wasn’t until the sound of shifting metal rang out in her ears that she discovered that the armor’s occupant was far smaller than she’d expected.

“About time you got here!” Vanguard shouted as she stomped into view. Snow white skin, fiery red hair, big green eyes, and arms that orbited around her; the model of an average Anthromoji. The girl slammed down the toolbox she’d been carrying onto the table, opened it up, climbed onto the stool, and stared back at the taller woman.

“Yeah, I know. You probably weren’t expecting me to be so short, were you?” She picked up a wrench and began to adjust one of the bolts on the suit’s boot. “Alright, get the ‘cute’ comments out of the way, and then we can get down to business.”

“I’ve seen cuter.” Garlude stated with an impish grin.

“You wound me!” Cobalt feigned offense and gasped, her unoccupied hand clasping over her heart. She snickered and went back to work. “If my visage isn’t too hideous, then maybe you could hand me some more polish while you’re here. This sabaton’s definitely seen better days.”

Garlude nodded and passed the can, watching the petite alien diligently fix the suit’s leg with the hands of a seasoned pro. Or more accurately, the floating limbs of a seasoned pro. Either way, it was pretty impressive to watch.

“So, why did you make a suit like this?” Garlude asked.

“Easy. I don’t know if you’ve seen any of my kind around, but ordinarily we’re supposed to float.” Cobalt explained, refastening the shin guard to the leg. “I was born with that ability, but I was completely anchored by the time I turned five.”

“Anchored?” Garlude asked, cocking an eyebrow in puzzlement.

“I say anchored, they say defective…” Her paw slammed her toolbox shut with more force than she’d intended. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I made this to compensate for that.”

She climbed up the suit as if it were a tree, and detached the cables suspending it from the ceiling. Before the suit’s feet could hit the ground and buckle under its own weight, she crawled inside and activated it, the breastplate snapping shut and the vizor lighting up as she slid the helmet down onto her head.

Vanguard winked. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“It’s spectacular!” Garlude’s eyes were bright as a bonfire as she circled the armored warrior, beaming at every inch of her. “How long did it take you to make? The design looks so sleek.”

Vanguard was silent for a second, and then she laughed. “That’s a new one! You’re the first person that hasn’t told me I’d look better without this.”

“Who’d say something like that? This is just an extension of yourself, isn’t it?” Garlude took a step back just to take in the beauty of the machinery again. “It’s still you underneath all of that.”

“You’d be shocked. I’m often accused of deceiving people or refusing to embrace my true self.” Vanguard crossed her arms and huffed. “What I’d really like is to not be told how I should deal with my own personal problems once in a while.”

Garlude chuckled and gave a knowing glance, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Vanguard. This time, her gaze was diverted by the sight of two small Star Warriors carrying a sword in the hallway. A copper plated sword with a noticeably hollowed out cross guard.

“I just remembered I’m late for something!” Garlude bolted out of the room in hot pursuit of the duo. “It was nice meeting you! Good luck on the suit!”

Despite their stubby legs and heavy equipment, the two puffballs made a brisk pace down the hallway. Nevertheless, she finally caught up to them and snatched the sky-blue puff in the back. They gave a short yelp in surprise as she lifted them over her head, preventing them from trying to grab the handle once more.

“No! No! We’ll be having none of this.” Garlude scolded as the Star Warrior writhed in her arms like a snake. “It’s be in your best interests if you’d kindly stop your… buddy?” She titled her head and looked down at the other one, a cream-colored puffball.

“Associate,” He hissed. Evidently, she’d struck a nerve. “For the last gods-damned time, we’re not related!”

“Jade, I can’t help but feel like it’s a little presumptuous to say that to somebody you’ve just met.” Said the first, and they gently smacked Garlude’s hand to make her let go. Landing on the ground, they then replied with a judgmental look aimed at their associate, “You’ll have to excuse him for his lack of manners. He’s a bit of an asshole.”

Jade rolled his eyes and scoffed. “It just grinds my gears, y’know?”

“Well, I don’t care,” They turned back to Garlude and humbly bowed. “My name is Rozen, and that is Jaiduul. We’re just trying to bring this enemy weapon back to the armory to make sure it’s safe and secured.”

“Enemy weapon? That isn’t an enemy weapon! It’s…” Garlude’s voice trailed off as she tried to come up with a lie. “That is a family heirloom!”

Jade blinked and slowly turned the sword over to reveal Nightmare’s emblem on the trigger’s handle, tapping it twice with a finger.

“My grandfather stole it from Nightmare Enterprises!” Garlude declared, matter-of-factly. “We used it to ward away book thieves!”

“Book thieves?” Rozen wondered aloud. “How bored does one have to be to steal books?”

“You’d be shocked,” Garlude said. “Listen, feel free to lock it up. In fact, I’d encourage it! Just be careful with it, alright?”

Having completely droned out what Garlude was saying, Jaiduul pulled the trigger. A rocket fired from the front and Jade was launched backwards into the wall at top speed. Rozen clapped their paws over their ears and screamed, while Garlude’s face defaulted to disgusted apathy as the rocket loudly exploded against the solid steel wall. The sword-gun seemed to stay suspended in midair for a few seconds before clattering to the ground.

“Or you could do that,” Garlude flatly remarked.

As she walked over to the downed warrior, she wordlessly motioned with her head for Rozen to pick the sword back up and continue on their way to the armory. Garlude gently picked Jade up, careful not to jostle him any further, and carried him to the medical bay. She mentally noted this was starting to become a trend as she sat down outside the room. Blessed darkness, this was getting downright comical; she couldn’t even stop herself from harming others when she was trying to be as meek and docile as possible.

“Are you proud of yourself?” An unknown voice pulled Garlude out of her mental self-flagellation. Looking up, she saw a lilac-feathered bird shooting daggers her way. “Well? Say something!”

Garlude wasn’t sure how to respond. “Excuse me?”

“Ha! Figures!” She stepped closer as Garlude rose to stand. “I mean, why wouldn’t you be? That’s the only reason you came here. Don’t think I’m stupid! You’ll just clean us all out until your boss is satisfied. Nice work going for the jerk first, though. Almost had me tripped up. What’s your name?”

Even more confusion flowed through Garlude. Was this girl under the impression that she was a spy? Well, if the circumstances were different, Garlude reasoned she _could_ have been a spy. Though, whatever the case, it was best to keep at the deception and play dumb.

“It’s Garlude,” she firmly responded. “Why do you want to know?”

“No. I mean your _real_ name,” the bird warrior replied. Garlude tensed up as the other woman began to pace a circle around her. “The last time I checked, the name Garlude has been out of style for centuries. So, unless your parents had a thing for the classics, I find that awfully hard to believe.”

“Is there a problem here?” The head medic’s voice rang out from behind, spooking the both of them. Even with his mask on, Garlude could tell from the tone in his voice that he was enraged. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Cyn, but I don’t think this is the way you should be treating someone who lost their planet over the course of a week.”

She sneered at him for a second or two but bluntly nodded. Asides from a quick shoulder check, the Star Warrior passed Garlude without so much as another gesture. The medic glared as she turned the corner and breathed in deep before looking back at Garlude.

“Don’t let Cyndell get to you, alright? She gets real paranoid over nothing.” He reassured, gently clapping her on the shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with ya.”

“She probably has a good reason,” Garlude mumbled. Before she could stop herself, she pressed on his second statement. “How would you know?”

“Call it a hunch.” He said with a shrug. “And if you’re still feeling dizzy, just know I’m on standby. Just call for Jack, alright?”

He turned on his heel and walked back into the room where Garlude could hear Jade coming to with a pained moan. She sat back down and took a deep breath, rubbing her temples. And in her head, Erasem’s mocking voice rang out.

_Look, Garlude! You’re got dozens of friends already!_


End file.
